WOODBRIDGE -- Mayor John E. McCormac, delivering his annual State of the Township address today, was quick to associate himself with Gov. Chris Christie and framed his speech around what the Republican said Tuesday at his swearing in.

David Gard/For The Star-LedgerWoodbridge Mayor John McCormac delivers his "State of the Township" address at The Forge Inn in Woodbridge today.“His message was loud and clear,” said McCormac, a former state treasurer and one of just two Democrats appointed to Christie’s transition team. “We are facing extraordinary times. Towns across the state can no longer look to Trenton for help.”

The mayor went on to say he expects aid to most of the state’s 566 municipalities to stay flat this year, if not go down. McCormac took a decidedly understanding tone, saying it was up to local governments to bridge the gap. He then went on to praise the new governor.

“I applaud his bipartisan call,” McCormac told about 100 business owners, politicians and local officials gathered at The Forge banquet hall in Woodbridge. “People don’t really care whether we’re Republicans or Democrats anymore, as long as we get the job done.”

It might be a tough point to make given the current political climate. Christie, a conservative, just took charge of one of the nation’s bluest states on the same day that a fellow Republican won a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts, another liberal bellwether.

Even Woodbridge, with just one Republican councilman and a long history of Democratic control, fell to Christie in the November election. The day after winning, the governor-elect was in town to walk Main Street with McCormac.

Today, after hearing of the mayor’s praise for the new governor, that lone Republican called into question McCormac’s party allegiance.

“I find it very interesting that the mayor, after raising his budget and saying he’s going to continue spending, is suddenly leaning toward a Republican governor,” said Robert Luban, who served as the council’s president last year. “One has to wonder if he’s leaning toward becoming a Republican.”

After his afternoon speech, the mayor defended his praise for the governor and involvement on the transition team. It’s his job, he said, to act in the interest of Woodbridge residents.

“I’m proud to help the state and the governor’s team in any way I can, given my experience working in Trenton,” said McCormac, who was treasurer under former Gov. James E. McGreevey. “My only goal is to make Woodbridge Township better, and that cooperation helps.”

He said he doesn’t worry that Democrats may be alienated by his bipartisan approach. James Carroll, the council’s vice president, reflected the same point of view in a separate interview.

To that end, McCormac announced a crime drop and a change to the recycling program, which will now allow all residents to put different types of recyclables in the same container starting on March 1.

Preliminary statistics show that crime fell in every major category during 2009, with the exception of motor vehicle theft, which was up 14 percent. The mayor attributed the decline to his efforts to keep the police department staffed, even as he reduces the number of employees in other areas.

He ended his speech with a call to action, asking citizens to participate in government: “We all need to work together to get through this economic slump.”